A post shared by Fit Performance (@fitperformance) on Aug 20, 2018 at 12:28pm PDT

The post Molly working on her explosiveness appeared first on Abs Personal Training Essex.

A post shared by Fit Performance (@fitperformance) on Jul 28, 2018 at 11:46am PDT

1st Place in the 90kg Category for Zara today at the BDFPA Nationals! Despite not being at her best due to illness the last 3 weeks, Zara still managed to hit some big numbers and came away with a shiny trophy! Well done Z!!

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A post shared by Fit Performance (@fitperformance) on Jul 20, 2018 at 12:54pm PDT

Not bad for Jon with a 130kg front squat which was his first time maxing this exercise! Well done buddy

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A post shared by Fit Performance (@fitperformance) on Jul 11, 2018 at 8:07am PDT

Good technical work on the snatch with Amanda today. Working on slowing down the first pull as to not jump forwards. One of the hardest things to do is to be patient and keep the arms relaxed as the weights become heavier! She even hit a nice 62kg PB clean and jerk

The post Technical work for Amanda appeared first on Abs Personal Training Essex.

A post shared by Aaron Bolton (@abspersonaltraining) on Jul 6, 2018 at 3:37am PDT

People often assume that lifting more weight is a sign of improved strength, and although this may be the case, there are other reasons to consider.
Here we have Charlotte squatting a max of 110kg before hitting a massive 130kg just 12 weeks apart!
Is this simply a case of improved strength?
Let’s consider 3 other factors:

1. Technical Proficiency
A lot of improvement in weight lifted can be purely down to technical proficiency, especially when gains are made in such a short period of time. Considering it generally takes a period of several months to increase strength, improved lifting mechanics via appropriate frequency, loading, speed and control can impact rate of improvement in a given lift.

2. Environment
Competition can be great for a lifter! The nerves and adrenaline can be enough to help a lifter achieve lifetime PB’s that otherwise wouldn’t be possible in just a training environment. Coupled with the cheers of an audience and the shouting from fellow lifters, and you’ve got yourself some extra kg on the bar!

3. Equipment
Knee sleeves can go a long way to helping with extra weight on the bar. This is why some Powerlifting federations allow them and some do not! Never underestimate the added benefit of good equipment like a strong supportive belt, knee sleeves and lifting shoes.
If you’re looking to get stronger but don’t know where to start, then drop us a message and we can help you in the right direction!

The post Are you actually getting stronger? appeared first on Abs Personal Training Essex.

A post shared by Aaron Bolton (@abspersonaltraining) on Jul 6, 2018 at 12:30am PDT

Well done to Emma who in 6 weeks has added 5kg to her front squat, bench press and back squat, as well as 10kg to her deadlift and 4kg to her shoulder press! I think she appreciated the grind of those lifts today

The post Emma improves her PB’s in 5 lifts appeared first on Abs Personal Training Essex.

Final heavy session before next week’s LSE competition at Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club.

Good to train with a few of the gang! Sam is competaing next week too!

The post Training Mix appeared first on Abs Personal Training Essex.

A post shared by Fit Performance (@fitperformance) on Jul 6, 2018 at 12:04pm PDT

Because 3 PB’s at competition wasn’t enough last Sunday, Claire hit a 70kg front squat PB today too!

The post Claire hits 70kg in the front squat appeared first on Abs Personal Training Essex.

A post shared by Fit Performance (@fitperformance) on Jul 6, 2018 at 3:34am PDT

People often assume that lifting more weight is a sign of improved strength, and although this may be the case, there are other reasons to consider.
Here we have Charlotte squatting a max of 110kg before hitting a massive 130kg just 12 weeks apart!
Is this simply a case of improved strength?
Let’s consider 3 other factors:

1. Technical Proficiency
A lot of improvement in weight lifted can be purely down to technical proficiency, especially when gains are made in such a short period of time. Considering it generally takes a period of several months to increase strength, improved lifting mechanics via appropriate frequency, loading, speed and control can impact rate of improvement in a given lift.

2. Environment
Competition can be great for a lifter! The nerves and adrenaline can be enough to help a lifter achieve lifetime PB’s that otherwise wouldn’t be possible in just a training environment. Coupled with the cheers of an audience and the shouting from fellow lifters, and you’ve got yourself some extra kg on the bar!

3. Equipment
Knee sleeves can go a long way to helping with extra weight on the bar. This is why some Powerlifting federations allow them and some do not! Never underestimate the added benefit of good equipment like a strong supportive belt, knee sleeves and lifting shoes.

If you’re looking to get stronger but don’t know where to start, then drop me a message and we can help you in the right direction!

The post Strength Improvement vs. Technical Proficiency appeared first on Abs Personal Training Essex.

What a day for some of my clients! It was great to have so many of them compete at our friendly Powerlifting Meet and smash personal bests!

For some of them, it was their first meet. For others it was their second and for the rest, it was simply another meet to gain more competitive experience.

Below are their individual lifts, stating what PB’s were hit for each person from the last time we tested to the competition. The time between these testing points varied for each individual given their programming needs.

Dennis
Squat – 182.5-190 (7.5kg PB)
Bench – 90-100 (10kg PB)
Deadlift – 185-210 (25kg PB)
Dennis has been training for a while now and often goes a week or so every now and again without training which isn’t ideal! Training for this Powerlifting meet gave him direction and the focus he needed to remain persistent! It clearly paid off with the results he achieved.

Aaron
Squat – 170-180 (10kg PB)
Bench – 95-105 (10kg PB)
Deadlift – 180-205 (25kg PB)
I’ve not been working with Aaron for very long and in fact only do his programming with a one off session here and there. He has made great progress showing what can be achieved with sheer will and the determination to better yourself.

Hannah
Squat – 85-90 (5kg PB)
Bench – 47.5-52.5 (5kg PB)
Deadlift – 105-110 (5kg PB)
Hannah came to me a bit of a mess! With poor programming and heavy lifting on a constant basis every training session, it was a recipe for disaster. After an initial change to what she was doing by drastically dropping intensity and performing a variety of exercises, we worked hard to gradually increase her work capacity and reduce her injuries. She performed extremely well with this being her first meet and I look forward to seeing her lift at the next meet.

Sam
Squat – 110 (matched PB)
Bench – 52.5
Deadlift – 125
Sam’s focus for the past year has been weightlifting so we haven’t been pushing her bench press or deadlift as we instead worked on increasing her snatch and clean and jerk. Just 4 weeks out from competition we reintroduced bench and so I was pleasantly surprised that she achieved 52.5kg which is only 2.5kg under her best ever! We now focus on her first LSE weightlifting meet in just two weeks time.

Claire
Squat – 100 (matched PB)
Bench – 62.5-65 (2.5kg PB)
Deadlift – 117.5-125 (7.5kg PB)
I’m so pleased for Claire and the progress she has made recently! She only recently hit 100kg for the first time three weeks prior to this meet so to match it in competition was amazing. And then to go on and hit PB’s in both the bench press and the deadlift is what a great competition is all about!

Sylvia
Squat – 87.5
Bench – 35 (matched PB)
Deadlift – 112.5-115 (2.5kg PB)
With Sylvia being a masters lifter, and the fact she only trains twice a week with holidays every other month, progress can be slow. However, she loves lifting and really enjoys herself at the gym. Her best squat was 92.5kg which was made last month so overall she performed well at this meet.

Steph
Squat – 95
Bench – 55
Deadlift – 115
It’s been a rough final weeks for Steph leading up to the competition. She hit a 110kg PB squat several weeks prior to the meet and was training really well. But only a week out from competition and she came down with a chest infection which needless to say affected her lifts massively. Not only was she run down, she was also sleep deprived from coughing most nights. Even so, she competed and hit decent numbers with great technical form. She now focuses on partaking in her first weightlifting competition in December.

Louis
Squat – 222.5-230 (7.5kg PB)
Bench – 135 (matched PB)
Deadlift – 205-215 (10kg PB)
Louis has been making exceptional progress this last year. When I first started working with him, his squat was 190kg and he managed to hit a 215kg squat in just twelve weeks which is generally unheard of! He still continues to progress to this date and I have high hopes for some big lifts.

Amanda
Squat – 112.5-115 (2.5kg PB)
Bench – 62.5
Deadlift – 110-117.5 (7.5kg PB)
Amanda recently came from a weightlifting background and only decided to give Powerlifting a crack twelve weeks prior to the meet. She hit some good numbers in training recently and improved them even more at the competition.

Charlotte
Squat – 110-130 (20kg PB)
Bench – 77.5-82.5 (5kg PB)
Deadlift – 125-140 (15kg PB)
I’ve been working with Charlotte now for three months and she was already pretty strong and had a great training base coming from a bodybuilding background. The PB’s she produced were just twelve weeks apart and I believe there is still so much more to give. Just look at the speed of that 130kg squat!

Zara
Squat – 165-167.5 (2.5kg PB)
Bench – 85-87.5 (2.5kg PB)
Deadlift – 192.5
Zara and I have been working together for many years now. After she stopped playing football to focus on her career as a Powerlifter, she has not stopped progressing. We recently made the decision to switch from high bar to low bar and doing so has added 22.5kg to her squat in just a few short months. She also benched a PB and hit a 192.5kg deadlift which is just 0.5kg under her current British Deadlift record. We plan to smash this total in 4 weeks time at the BDFPA nationals.

Jon
Squat – 190
Bench – 112.5-117.5 (5kg PB)
Deadlift – 222.5-230 (7.5kg PB)
It’s been a pleasure working with Jon in the short time I’ve been doing so. Jon always works hard and loves lifting so needless to say I was just as happy as he was to see him hit PB’s in both the bench press and deadlift. With some more technical work on his squat, I feel he is not far away from 200kg +

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